Sometimes you should ignore MFAT advice

Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully has told MPs not to attend events involving the controversial spiritual movement Falun Gong later this month because the Chinese Embassy will monitor them and lodge official protests.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade advice, circulated by McCully’s office, was aimed at National MPs but leaked after it was sent in error to other MPs. “Given the sensitivities of this event, MFAT advice to ministers and MPs should not attend World Falun Dafa Day events,” the email said.

It is one things for Ministers not to attend, as they represent the Government, but I think it is not appropriate to warn off backbench MPs.

I have no liking for Falun Gong. But the more China demonises them, the more it makes me want to support them.

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Comments (11)

So Shearer gave McCully a kicking about telling Nat MP’s to stay away from Falun Gong meetings in NZ so as to not antagonise the PRC …..

Fair enough freedom of association is important… And tweaking the Chinese nose is fine by me….

But Mr Shearer better not get on his high horse when Mr P Gardner faces the death penalty, as is highly probably, when his trial finishes in the PRC…. just saying maybe Muzza was trying to get things lined up to make an appeal for Mr Gardners life when the trial comes to an end…..

And personally I think Mr Gardner is a gone burger – the Chinese don’t do spectacular, bring your rock star defense attorney get away with murder, trials a la the US. Mr Gardner is in it up to his forehead and sinking fast methinks

Nostalgia-NZ

kowtow

Funny old world. We thumb our noses at our gallant allies the Americans who died to stop the Nips advance in ’41 and yet we are shit scared of upsetting Chinese Communists who hate everything our politicians claim to stand for.(freedom ,democracy, fairness)

The hypocrisy of our masters who form the elites in the permanent political class is breath taking.

And they wonder why the electorate has become so cynical and disengaged.

Tauhei Notts

Forwarding of mass emails is a serious matter.
It is a rule of the internet that one must wait quite a few seconds before pushing that send button.
Was that jerk who sent the email to wrong recipients on the taxpayers’ payroll?
If that jerk was on the taxpayers’ payroll, is he/she still on the taxpayers’ payroll?
If so, why?

David Garrett

DPF: I know very little – in fact almost nothing – about Falun Gong which you say you have no liking for…perhaps you could do a post on the reasons you don’t like this “movement”? Yes, I could use Mr Google, but that just discloses others’ opinion. I respect yours.

Mr_Blobby

@ dave_1924

“Mr P Gardner faces the death penalty”

A New Zealander living in Australia, he should be the Australians problem.

Do the crime do the time. If he is guilty we should think of him no more.

China is a Sovereign Nation the same as Indonesia, don’t like the laws don’t go there. But don’t tell them how to run their own affairs. The vast Majority of Indonesians have no problem with the death penalty.

@ Mr_Blobby: Maybe he should be Strayas problem. And yes just like Indonesia, China has its laws and penalties. No disagreement on those points at all…

But I think the NZ Media will be all over it and McCully knows that from watching the Bali 9 executions in Indonesia. And you can be certain Shearer will make political games happen around it as well “why are we not doing more yada yada”

But it will be a problem for McCully and in addition the Chinese are not averse to simply stopping our exports on the Wharf if they feel peeved…. its not a simple issue regardless how people want to position it otherwise…

Manolo

Mr_Blobby

@ Dave_1924

Yes the media will be all over it. I was in Australia when the 2 from the Bali 9 were executed along with 6 others who barely got a mention.

The local TV was interviewing an expert on the subject who said that they would be hanged, I was shouting, be shot, at the TV, while he was pushing the book on the subject he had just written on the subject.

The Government was blamed for not doing enough etc etc etc

The bottom line is the Chinese will do what they want regardless and they are entitled to do that as a sovereign Nation.

KevinH

In late January I was visiting Bastion Point in Auckland with some Korean visitors and was approached by a Chinese gentlemen wanting to have a discussion about Falun Gong. There was a group of about 20 Falun Gong members at Bastion Point that day because it is a popular spot to visit by Asian tourists and the group had draped Falun Gong bunting over fences by the Michael Savage Memorial and were making approaches to visitors.
My Korean visitors were taken aback by the approaches especially pamphlets the group were handing out which featured graphic pictures of Falun Gong members who had been tortured and executed in China. The group I was with returned to our bus without fully exploring the site because they felt uncomfortable being confronted with a political protest when all they wanted to do was enjoy the sights available at Bastion Point. I was embarrassed by this and decided to take them to Auckland Domain and the Wintergarden instead.
Although the Falun Gong members were polite and well spoken and perhaps had a genuine reason for publicising their predicament I felt the choice of venue was inappropriate and their actions unwelcome. I avoided taking visitors to Bastion Point for the rest of January because of the groups presence.